Elizabeth
Montgomery, Katherine Helmond, Fionnula Flanagan
Smart, creepy, and gleefully macabre, The Legend of Lizzie
Borden ranks among the best MOTWs. Elizabeth
Montgomery is all-but-unrecongizable as the notorious Borden,
who may or may not have slaughtered her father and step-mother for a variety
of reasons in late-19th-century Massachusetts. As told in a Rashamon-like
structure (we hear the events of the fateful day as told by several witnesses,
none of whom are telling the whole truth) with copious flashbacks and
oodles of intrigue, the story is lively and unexpectedly delicious. Throw
in some fantastic period costuming, set design, and music, as well as
a pointed discussion of women’s suffrage (the dialogue between the
prosecuting attorney and his wife, who understand’s Lizzie’s
potential motives, is downright jaw-dropping), and you’ve got made-for-television
entertainment that is hard to beat. Special props to Montgomery for a
masterful chameleon-like performance that keeps you constantly guessing
whether or not Lizzie is guilty, without ever cheating or resorting to
cheap histrionics – this woman turns on a dime from victim to wildcat
but makes it seem natural. Katherine Helmond is sadly
underused but as fabulous as ever, and Fionnula Flanagan
is perfectly-cast (and perfectly gorgeous!) as the spiky Irish maid (a
role she would echo decades later in The Others).
|
